UCCS golf struggles in first round at regionals

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs menâ€^TMs golf team shot a disappointing 310 Monday to end the first round of the Northwest Regional Tournament last among the eight teams participating at The Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix.

The Mountain Lionsâ€^TM poor first-round performance was shocking because UCCS entered the regional as the top qualifier.

With a 26-over par score, the Mountain Lions trail tournament leader St. Cloud State by 13 strokes. Since the Northwest Region is considered relatively weak, it is likely that only the tournament leader will advance to the national championship tournament.

UCCSâ€^TM top three, Neil Huffaker (74), Kyle Logan (75) and Chase Wortmann (77) combined to shoot 13-over par, well enough to keep the Mountain Lions in contention. It was a disastrous first round, however, for John Scott and Chris Smith, who shot 84 and 96 respectively. Since only one individual score can be discarded from the team score, Scottâ€^TMs 13-over par had to be counted.

Working in the Mountain Lions favor is their season-long penchant for slow starts and strong finishes. UCCS has posted progressively better rounds in four of its past five tournaments.